Felician Záh
Felician (III) Záh | |
|---|---|
Illuminated Chronicle | |
| Born | 1260s |
| Died | 17 April 1330 Visegrád, Hungary |
| Noble family | gens Záh |
| Issue | Felician IV Sebe Clara |
| Father | Záh II |
Felician (III) from the kindred Záh (also incorrectly Zách, Hungarian: Záh nembeli (III.) Felicián; killed 17 April 1330) was a Hungarian nobleman and soldier in the first half of the 14th century, who unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate Charles I of Hungary and the entire royal family in Visegrád.
Ancestry and family
Felician III originated from the
Felician was born in the second half of the 1260s as one of the two sons of Záh II. His uncle was the influential prelate
Military and court career
[...] This Felicianus had been raised to a high position by the former
The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle[5]
Felician next appears in contemporary records on 18 May 1301, shortly after the extinction of the
The reconciliation between Charles I and Matthew Csák proved to be short-lived, as the oligarch did not want to accept the king's rule; therefore, he did not attend King Charles' third coronation, when he was crowned with the
After Csák's military defeats throughout in 1317, numerous faithful noblemen and soldiers left his dominion and allegiance to join the royal camp. Around 1318, Felician also became a partisan of Charles I, who forgave his former infidelity. Thus he managed to retain his possessions in Nógrád County.
After his replacement, Felician moved to his lands in Gömör County. He resided in his estate of Gice (today Hucín, Slovakia) in December 1327. His neighbor and old nemesis Ladislaus Ákos filed a lawsuit against Felician and his namesake son, but they were not present at local county court. Later land donations confirm that Charles I ruled in favor of Felician in the upcoming lawsuits against Ladislaus, so he did not fall out of the king's favor, but certainly lost political influence.[13] In January 1329, Felician complained that one of his familiares, French, son of Benedict, left his service and stole 100 marks. He decided to punish the insult: on 19 February, his soldiers invaded French's house and captured his servant John and swineherd Bene. They were subsequently tortured to death. French denied the accusation of theft, and Nicholas Treutel, the ispán of Pozsony County forced the parties to duel. However, Felician and French finally agreed with each other. Felician summoned 30 nobles, who justified his accusations: subsequently, French had to pay 60 marks as compensation. The document issued on 10 August also stated that if Felician died in the meantime, his son, Felician IV was owed the remaining debt, which French had to pay nineteen days later, on 29 August. This short period of time confirms Felician's advancing age and, probably, declining health.[14]
Failed regicide
Assassination attempt and death
Although in these times the people of Hungary enjoyed the loved tranquility of peace and the kingdom was on all sides secure against its enemies, yet the hater of peace and the sower of envy, the devil, put into the heart of a certain soldier named Felicianus, of the line of Zaah, who was already advanced in years and his hair silvered, that he would in one day kill with his sword his lord King Charles and Queen Elizabeth, and the King's two sons
The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle[5]
On 17 April 1330, Wednesday, Felician Záh, stormed into the dining room of the royal palace at Visegrád with a sword in his hand and attacked the royal family. He wounded both Charles and the queen on their right hand and attempted to kill their two sons, Louis and Andrew, before the royal guards killed him.
Subsequent reprisal
His [Felician's] head was sent to
The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle[5]
References
- ^ Tóth 2014, p. 640.
- ^ a b Tóth 2014, p. 643.
- ^ Engel: Genealógia (Genus Balog 4. Tombold branch)
- ^ Beihuber 2006, p. 110.
- ^ a b c The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 206.142–143), p. 146.
- ^ Kristó 1973, pp. 61–62.
- ^ a b Beihuber 2006, p. 112.
- ^ Kristó 1973, p. 127.
- ^ Tóth 2014, p. 644.
- ^ Tóth 2003b, p. 48.
- ^ Kristó 1973, p. 201.
- ^ Engel 1996, p. 409.
- ^ a b Tóth 2014, p. 645.
- ^ Tóth 2014, p. 646.
Sources
Primary sources
- The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle: Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum (Edited by Dezső Dercsényi) (1970). Corvina, Taplinger Publishing. ISBN 0-8008-4015-1.
Secondary studies
- Almási, Tibor (2000). "Záh Felicián ítéletlevele [The Sentence Letter of Felician Záh]". Aetas (in Hungarian). 15 (1–2). AETAS Könyv- és Lapkiadó Egyesület: 191–197. ISSN 0237-7934.
- Bagi, Dániel (2021). "Záh Felicián ügye Mügelni Henrik német nyelvű krónikájában [The Affair of Felician Záh in the German Chronicle of Henry of Mügeln]". Pontes (in Hungarian). 4. PTE BTK Történettudományi Intézet: 131–143. ISSN 2631-0015.
- Beihuber, Ádám (2006). "Borcseppek a kardélen. Gondolatok Záh Felicián merényletéről [Wine Drops on the Sword Edge: Thoughts About Felician Záh's Assassination]". Sic Itur Ad Astra (in Hungarian). 18 (1–2): 109–125. ISSN 0238-4779.
- Csukovits, Enikő (2012). Az Anjouk Magyarországon. I. rész. I. Károly és uralkodása (1301‒1342) [The Angevins in Hungary, Vol. 1. Charles I and His Reign (1301‒1342)] (in Hungarian). MTA Bölcsészettudományi Kutatóközpont Történettudományi Intézet. ISBN 978-963-9627-53-6.
- ISBN 963-8312-44-0.
- Gerics, József (2004). "Záh Felicián ítéletlevelének valószínű mintájáról [The Probable Pattern of Felician Záh's Sentence Letter]". In Erdei, Gyöngyi; Nagy, Balázs (eds.). Változatok a történelemre, Tanulmányok Székely György tiszteletére (Monumenta Historica Budapestinensia 14. kötet) (in Hungarian). pp. 209–211. ISBN 963-9340-41-3.
- Kristó, Gyula (1973). Csák Máté tartományúri hatalma [The Provincial Lordship of Matthew Csák] (in Hungarian). Akadémiai Kiadó.
- Mátyás, Flórián (1905). "Népmondák és történeti adatok Záh Feliczián merényletéről [Folk Legends and Historical Facts on Felician Záh's Assassination]". Századok (in Hungarian). 39 (2). Magyar Történelmi Társulat: 97–118. ISSN 0039-8098.
- Tóth, Ildikó (2003a). "Egy 1331. évi adománylevél margójára (Adalékok a Záh Felicián-féle merénylet következményeihez) [To the Margin of a Deed of Gift of 1331 (Remarks to the Consequences of Felician Záh's Assassination)]". Acta Universitatis Szegediensis: Acta Historica (in Hungarian). 117: 75–83. ISSN 0324-6965.
- Tóth, Krisztina (2003b). "Hirtelen merénylet vagy szervezett összeesküvés? (Újabb adatok Zách Felicián merényletéhez) [Sudden Assassination or Organized Conspiracy? (Newer Data for Felician Zách's Assassination)]". Turul (in Hungarian). 76 (1–2): 47–51. ISSN 1216-7258.
- Tóth, Krisztina (2014). "Még egyszer Zách Felicián merényletéről [Once Again About Felician Záh's Assassination]". In Bárány, Attila; Dreska, Gábor; Szovák, Kornél (eds.). Arcana tabularii. Tanulmányok Solymosi László tiszteletére (in Hungarian). Magyar Tudományos Akadémia; Debreceni Egyetem; Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem Bölcsészettudományi Kara; Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetem. pp. 639–652. ISBN 978-963-4737-59-9.
